At the Jan. 13 meeting the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 1 board received a series of updates from city staff and consultants on downtown streetscape and related projects, including schedule, plant palette, and outstanding warranty and permitting items.

City staff and the city engineer reported that the Tourist Street improvement project has received contractor documents and bonds; a preconstruction meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m., and staff anticipates contractor mobilization within one to two weeks. KCI indicated the anticipated construction duration is roughly 180 days and said phasing, block closures and downtown event coordination will be addressed at the preconstruction meeting.

KCI (represented by Edward Ochoa) presented 95 plan sheets from the landscape architect covering five downtown blocks (blocks 5–9). The plans show three primary tree types and various shrubs and groundcover. Species mentioned in the discussion included chica-pin oak, desert willow, palo verde and sable palms. Consultants noted underground utilities and root-depth constraints limit tree selection in some locations; they agreed to circulate photos and plan sheets to the board via email for additional review.

On Saragossa Street, staff noted some performance issues with railings, likely related to finish and paint, and proposed contractor follow-up and a warranty walk-through. For the Iturbide monument sign, staff said an electrical permit issue and coordination with AEP may delay powered installation; the sign could be installed without power if utility work is not completed and staff said they would pursue meetings with AEP to expedite power connections.

Wayfinding signage work (led by FSG with CBP input) is in the final graphic-tuning stage and staff expects to proceed to production without another board-level vote. Board members also discussed a cross-department initiative to standardize downtown light poles and signposts, and suggested formalizing standards via City Council to ensure consistency across projects.

Why it matters: These projects shape downtown accessibility, pedestrian experience and long-term maintenance; scheduling and species selection affect street closures, costs and ongoing maintenance obligations.

Next steps: Staff will circulate the landscape plans and images, hold the preconstruction meeting to finalize mobilization/phasing, schedule a warranty walk-through for Saragossa items, and meet with AEP on the monument-sign electrical work.